2.54 Did you ever find yourself in the middle of something and realize it's not at all going as planned? I had that happen a couple of nights ago, and not only didn't it go as planned, it turned into an epic fail on my part. The setting: playing capture the flag with my wife and four kids, in the dark (with flashlights). The grass was getting wet and slippery from dew. Teams had been picked, flags were set, and we were underway. About 10 minutes into the action, I made a bold run through the opposing territory, being chased by my wife. (Capture the flag is kind of like tag, with a jail and home base, and you need to find and capture the opponents flag and make it back to your side without being tug...) What happened next was a blur of poor, 40-something, physical coordination. Running full-tilt and trying to avoid the front boundary of our field-of-play (which is defined by concrete curb along our street) I found my shoes slipping in the wet grass, becoming a tangle of feet and legs in "I'm-too-old-for-this-and-it-won't-end-well" fashion. I went headlong over the curb and out into the street (which is paved with a very fine, gravely oil-and-chip surface.) After what my wife described as at least two or three rolls and somersaults I found myself on my back groaning, with sharp pains shooting through my hands and a few other places. The kids came running, and all gathered to see if they had gotten dad killed. The damage assessment yielded two gouged palms, and one knee, elbow and shoulder missing a good bit of skin. They collected my flashlight and me and all helped me hobble into the house for a home-nursing patch job...the game was obviously over. I was in a lot of pain, but kept chuckling at the scenario and my inept wipeout - lots of apologies were offered (from me for wrecking the game, and from the kids for almost getting me killed). A couple of days later I'm very much on the mend, and so glad we invest in family time the way we do. While it didn't go as planned, we have a great memory of the wild game of capture the flag that we shared. A power pantry wellness lifestyle is like that -- taking on life's opportunities with some drive and passion, alongside people you really care about, and seeing where things go. It may not go as planned, and you may even end up with scars along the way, but you'll have rich experiences and great memories to show for it. Go find some experiences you can dig into with gusto this week, and see where you end up. For us, the kids say that next time we'll play in the daylight...
By the Way
I like a quote we keep on our kitchen cabinet... it frames exactly what our experience this week yielded: "Go at life with abandon; give it all you've got. And life will give all it has to you." Norman Vincent Peale
2.53 Choices, choices, choices... if you've been tuned into Power Pantry for a while, you realize that our health is in our hands, and mostly, it is controlled by our power to choose wisely. I was reminded of the power of my choices this past week on a short vacation, and while we really enjoyed great food on the road, we also exercised appropriate restraint and made good food choices in general. The array of items in our pantries is obviously influenced by where we do our shopping, and that was very apparent when Jen did a 'big' shopping trip after vacation. The trekking included our favorite roadside stand, a bigger chain-related grocery store, and a smaller 'family owned' grocery store (which has a great meat counter). That's a lot of effort, but the resulting pantry stock is just what we need. Good choices can take that kind of effort and attention to detail, although sometimes having the right store nearby brings a quicker solution. While searching for a good dessert recipe yesterday, I landed on one from the Whole Foods website, and I remembered that Whole Foods is headed to Lancaster, PA. We still have a while to wait, though; they don't expect to be open until fall of 2017. Whole Foods is a tremendous shopping resource for healthy choices, all in one place...I'm really looking forward to their Lancaster location. If you haven't taken advantage of Whole Foods, be sure to give their website a try. Maybe you have a Whole Foods near you, and can shop there, but either way, their site has great content, like awesome, healthy, unique recipes (even for rice pudding, which we made and enjoyed last night.) Check out Whole Foods here: Whole Foods website. Here's to great choices, and the resources which support them. Whether it is the grilled salmon on the romaine salad while on vacation, or the commitment to trek to various grocery stores and farm stands for the healthiest selections, great choices are worth it.
By the Way
If you live in the Lancaster, PA area, you can benefit from a local whole foods grocery store called Rhubarb's Market. They have a good selection of healthy and organic foods. Check them out when you have a chance: Rhubarb's web site and contact information.
2.52 I shared a post a couple of weeks ago about always preparing... preparing for the next big opportunity, or maybe the next big challenge. And I wanted to follow up with some further encouragement to engage powerfully in whatever it is that is on your radar. Summer is half over, if you're measuring from Memorial Day to Labor Day... hard to believe it is going by so fast! Life can be like that: a blur of days melding to weeks, flowing to months, and feeling like there is little to show for it. Living a power pantry lifestyle lends itself to accomplishing something, because, well, you are. You may be detoxing, or eating clean, or losing weight or training for the next big run, or swim or ride. Whatever good lifestyle choices are keeping you busy this summer, there is no doubt you will have something to show for it come September. Maybe you'll be pain free, or have the energy and stamina you had in your 20's, or maybe you'll be ready for a big race (as I hopefully will be). The fact is, the only way we'll get things right in September is if we will make great choices and actions now. So after you've taken some time to read a good book on the beach, or hike a new trail in the woods, or paddle lazily around a lake, dig in, and make more strides toward the goals you have ahead of you. Summer is slipping by quickly, and we want to make to most of every day...go live each day to the fullest!
By the Way
A friend shared a great quote with me the other day that makes me think of digging in. It's sometimes called the 'Smoke Jumper's Creed": "Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can do what others can't."
2.51 A power pantry wellness lifestyle has a lot of activity, a lot of meaningful relationships, time to laugh and unwind, and it also has a lot of great food. Since were at the peak of summer, and it is vacation time, I thought I'd throw out an encouragement about vacation... it's that part of the lifestyle where we're supposed to unwind... To get us thinking in the right direction, it would be good to check in with Robby Novak, The Kid President. I've enjoy his YouTube video posts over the years, calling us up to engage life fully, and to be awesome. His latest one is just as good. Check out his recent video on the goal of vacation, and what kids really want from getting away. What Kids Really Want from Vacation
So make some time to laugh and unwind, and maybe even dig into some tremendous, nutritious, summertime recipes, while enjoying a vacation with family.
By the Way
Check out my post from last year on Robby's first big hit video... it's always worth watching again: Remember to Be Awesome
2.50 I think we often fail to see what is right in front of us. Because we think one day naturally melds into the next with no change of norms and outcomes, much of what is happening to us goes unnoticed. I think our body's interactions with food can be a lot like this. We want life faster, more convenient, with less cost and definitely with no need to engage our brains. And some of life will flow to us, and right past us, in that manner. A truth I have learned over the past 4-5 years is that in order to not slide into suffering caused by poor diet and food-related ills, we need to engage our brains. Simple observation of cause and effect in my life has clearly shown me this: my body doesn't like dairy and gluten! I've researched all sorts of information on sensitivity to dairy and gluten, and I can unquestionably say that these two foods cause my body significant distress.
The thing which causes us to not connect consumption of a food to the pain or suffering we feel, is time. It takes about two weeks to get the offending dairy or gluten proteins out of my system, and that can be a long time to patiently observe. So if I splurge on pizza and ice cream, I'm going to suffer a couple weeks of joint, neck and back aches (sometimes it's intense), skin irritation, and sometimes schedule-altering migraines. This will continue for 10 days or so, before my health gets back to the pain-free baseline I've grown used to for four years. The key to recognizing the connection is observation. But not the casual, speculative kind; it needs to be more deliberate and thoughtful. And the key question is: "what do you notice?" Simply asking that question in relation to a food we eat can change everything. If you have aches and pains and sluggishness, instead of relating it to old-age, try reducing and then eliminating gluten and dairy for two weeks and see what happens. You may be very glad you did.
By the Way
The top list of distressing foods is (unfortunately) common and very much at hand. I had posted about A Sensitive Issue last year recounting these sensitivity triggers as: dairy, gluten, corn, soy, peanuts and eggs. Check out that post to learn more.
2.49 Summer is in full swing, and in the midst of vacations and enjoying the hot weather and distracted schedule, you may also need to keep your eye on the ball. Following a power pantry lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. It's not a diet, it's not a season, it definitely isn't a fad; it's for life (literally). That's why I like to talk about power pantry guidance as 'lifestyle wellness resources.' With wellness as an integral part of life, an upcoming wellness event (think running-race, bike race, a big hike, a triathlon, etc.) may be on your horizon like it is on mine. Some months ago, I committed to running another half-marathon this year, and while my first pick (in Bird-in-Hand, PA) is sold-out, I searched for and found another. So I'm preparing for a late-September half-marathon in the Lancaster area, and 12 weeks out is now, meaning it's time to get on the stick. (FYI, a training rule-of-thumb is 1 week of training for each mile of a running race, so 13.1 miles should yield about 13 weeks of prepararation.) Are you preparing for a wellness goal? Is there a small poke in your spirit that says you should? Now's a great time... don't put it off. I have a pastor-friend who says, "if you don't know where the battle is today, you're preparing for the next one..." I like that perspective. A lot. We won't always have the obvious challenge right in front of us or on our doorstep. Maybe we have some margin right now for a reason... to prepare. Put a challenge on your late summer or early fall calendar, and get cracking. Maybe you have a bit of time in your schedule to help you think clearly, plan effectively and get training. There's no time like the present.
By the Way
I love a quote by John Wooden: "When opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare."
2.48 With summer here it can be tough to make consistent power pantry choices. Picnic food, ice cream treats and cold soft drinks may be a huge temptation to leave wellness choices behind... But for every tempting distraction from a wellness lifestyle, I think there's a silver lining which waits for us to notice and choose well. So what is a summer food silver lining? Berries! We just finished strawberry season in PA and the blueberries are quick on the heels, offering sweet, healthy distractions from standard summer fare. Have you had some fresh blueberries recently? Even if you don't live close to NJ (the blueberry capital of the North East), I'm certain you'll find fresh blueberries at the farmer's market and grocery store in the days and weeks to come. As a matter of fact, 98% of US blueberries come from just 10 states. Check out the Blueberry Council for great facts, recipes and history on this nutrient-packed healthy choice. Believe it or not, blueberries have only been cultivated for farm-to-table production and enjoyment for 100 years, and with the tremendous phytochemicals and antioxidants available in blueberries, it's great that they are now a staple. Berries offer a long list of benefits through their nutritional density. All we need to do is make them a regular part of our diet. Check out this great article from Dr. Joel Fuhrman about all the benefits from berries: The Benefits of Berries, Cherries and Pomegranates According to the information in the article, after making berries a part of your diet, you'll be sleeping better, recovering from exercise more quickly, and keeping heart disease at bay. That's quite a list of healthful results from simply enjoying berries So stop at the roadside stand, or swing by the produce section, and stock up on some sweet, low calorie, nutritious blueberries to enjoy a little slice of summer today.
By the Way
Don't forget to shop for berries in the frozen foods aisle, if you can't find the fresh ones. Frozen berries may be cheaper and more consistent from a ripeness, sweetness and size standpoint, than fresh ones. Either way, enjoy!
2.47 It's time for summer fun! With the 4th of July weekend here, it's a great time to revel in all summer has to offer. In our family, we like to challenge ourselves by thinking through what can we only do in this season of the year? And then go and do it! (You can only enjoy the snow in winter... so go do it. Summer is the time to enjoy great outdoor living, cookouts and long days ending with fireworks...so go enjoy it.) This weekend there may be kayaking or bike rides or a hike in the woods. And definitely some cooking on the grill to top things off. How about you? Be sure to fully engage the holiday weekend and enjoy this slice of summer. Then, in a couple of months, once we've worn out summer fun and a trip to the amusement park and cookouts of every kind, we can buckle down and get serious about something next (like school being back in session...) As Ralph Marston put it:
Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work.
By the Way
Have your summer fun in your own, unique, memorable way. A friend recently sent me a photo of two of their kids covered in mud and dripping wet, with huge smiles on their faces. Whatever led them to that level of pasty, drippy joy must have been a blast. And I'm certain they made an awesome summer memory that will last for years.
